Is the 'gravel race bike' category a marketing con?

We asked expert riders whether the demands of gravel racing warrant an entirely new bike

Cyclist riding gravel bike at speed
(Image credit: Future)

Over the last decade, there has been a big change to what we know and commonly consider to be a gravel bike. In times gone by every brand seemingly had its own take on the then-emerging genre, whereas today gravel bikes usually fit into one of three categories.

All road bikes, which are usually close to an endurance bike geometry with increased tyre clearance, gravel adventure bikes, such as the Wilier Adlar, which tend to be optimized for comfort and handling over speed, and gravel race bikes which generally sit somewhere in between.

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